float 1 of 2

1
as in to hover
to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air a canoe floating down the river particles of dust floating in the air

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2

float

2 of 2

noun

as in dock
a structure used by boats and ships for taking on or landing cargo and passengers the crew put the cargo on the float before heading back down the river

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of float
Verb
Legend of the Seas, which will be home to Category 6, the largest waterpark at sea, was floated out for the first time at the start of this month, ahead of its August 2026 debut. Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025 If caught in a rip current, relax and float. Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 13 Sep. 2025
Noun
Small panfish and bream float stunned and motionless in the five feet or so of zapped lake around the boat, but the target eels do not seem as susceptible in the marshy edges that are lined with brush. Wesley Bruer, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025 The hour markers and minute track float above the retrograde chronograph, creating a real statement on the wrist. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 6 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for float
Recent Examples of Synonyms for float
Verb
  • Parents who hover too closely — always ready to smooth the path, to shield from discomfort — may unintentionally rob their children of the chance to develop resilience.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
  • No more hovering at the oven door.
    Matt Emma, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Colorful murals adorn the interior, with communal tables and high ceilings, and the outdoors has beer-keg tables and heat lamps and lots of room for patrons — and their dogs — to roam.
    John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2025
  • His beam wavered on a patch of blankness, or the corner of an amp, and then began to roam the stage in desperation, scanning here and scanning there—until, from the darkness, the voice of Bruce Dickinson, Iron Maiden’s singer, was heard.
    James Parker, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Trucks had to leave their cargo at loading docks, where small 106West carts would then pick it up and deliver it.
    Justin Wingerter, Denver Post, 10 Sep. 2025
  • The new dock can handle complex multi-network workflows, unlock high-bandwidth network storage connectivity and expand connectivity.
    Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • In 2025, Thorne’s Netflix miniseries Adolescence became a global juggernaut, sailing to the top of streaming charts and sparking international conversation.
    Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Intriguing itineraries to places such as Asia and the South Pacific, where Ritz-Carlton has not previously sailed.
    Amanda Eyre Ward, Travel + Leisure, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Her task now is simply to wander, wait and listen.
    Ari Daniel, NPR, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Despite its common name, this creature wasn’t simply a lion that wandered into the Americas.
    Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • As the water recedes, Leticia's cargo wharf has been extended several times to reach the river.
    John Otis, NPR, 7 Sep. 2025
  • The infrastructure humans build in the water ‒ houses, piers, wharves, jetties, and even oil rigs ‒ create new habitats for juvenile jellyfish, called polyps, to attach and grow, Bologna said.
    N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • To avoid being swept away, swim parallel to the shore to exit a rip current.
    Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Fish and other large creatures swim freely, move against the current, and leave behind a trail of molecules.
    Katherine Bourzac, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • After an earnings beat and a blistering 32% pop on July 30, the stock drifted lower for a month — a normal profit-taking after a vertical move.
    Nishant Pant, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2025
  • This means that if Solar Cycle 25 were stronger or weaker than predicted, the peak month of solar maximum would drift from this August-September 2025 prediction.
    Ryan French, Space.com, 9 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Float.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/float. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.

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